U.S. patent application number 13/222463 was filed with the patent office on 2012-05-03 for international e-commerce system.
This patent application is currently assigned to CEA Overseas LLC. Invention is credited to Carlos E. Araque.
Application Number | 20120109765 13/222463 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45997714 |
Filed Date | 2012-05-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120109765 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Araque; Carlos E. |
May 3, 2012 |
INTERNATIONAL E-COMMERCE SYSTEM
Abstract
The present invention is an electronic commerce system that
includes a virtual mall server for implementing mirror websites of
stores offering products through and affiliated with the virtual
mall. The mirrored product data can be viewed by purchasers using a
remote computer or wireless device. The system also includes a
tariff database including tariff or importation tax information for
at least one country. The tariff of tax information is displayed to
the user so that the user knows the expense of importing a
purchased product into the user's country. The virtual mall server
also provides to the user's remote computer real-time information
of product price in a currency of choice as well as shipping fee
information.
Inventors: |
Araque; Carlos E.; (Caracas,
VE) |
Assignee: |
CEA Overseas LLC
Miami
FL
|
Family ID: |
45997714 |
Appl. No.: |
13/222463 |
Filed: |
August 31, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61378648 |
Aug 31, 2010 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/26.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 20/12 20130101;
G06Q 30/0641 20130101; G06Q 30/0601 20130101; G06Q 30/0633
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/26.1 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/00 20120101
G06Q030/00 |
Claims
1. An electronic commerce system comprising: a virtual mall server
for mirroring product data and providing the mirrored data to a
remote computer; and a tariff database including tariff or
importation tax information for at least one country; wherein the
server provides to the remote computer tariff or importation tax
information based on a country selected by a user and received
through the remote computer; and the server further provides to the
remote computer real-time information of product price in a
currency of choice and shipping fee information.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/378,648, filed Aug. 31, 2010, the disclosure of
which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to real-time computing systems.
Specifically, the invention relates to the application of computing
systems to facilitate a currency-blind purchase transaction.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Many potential buyers around the world have enough capital
to purchase high-end goods or products, but perhaps not enough
capital to travel to another country or a major city for access to
stores offering such goods or products. The current on-line systems
for accessing U.S. high-end products, for example, can also be
problematic for additional reasons. First, U.S. companies may not
ship goods purchased on-line to foreign countries. Second, even if
that were not a problem, most people in the world do not own a
credit card or own credit cards that carry a low credit limit.
[0004] Thus, there is a need in the art for a truly International
e-Commerce system where residents of foreign countries may be able
to buy U.S. goods, for example, using their own currency in a
currency-blind and real-time transaction, with guaranteed delivery
to those foreign countries.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The following presents a simplified summary of the invention
in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the
invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the
invention. Rather than specifically identify key or critical
elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the
invention, its purpose, inter alia, is to present some concepts of
the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more
detailed description that is presented later.
[0006] The virtual mall of the present invention may be defined as
an International e-commerce system that may be accessed globally.
Registered users of the system will have real-time access to all
stores affiliated with the virtual mall through the use of websites
mirroring the original affiliated stores' websites, thus enabling a
seamless and hassle-free shopping experience.
[0007] The virtual mall and shipping system of the present
invention allows registered users to conduct purchase transactions
using local currency in real-time and receive purchased merchandise
from anywhere in the world. Thus, the system of the present
invention solves at least the problem created by delays in currency
conversion or currency fluctuation rates, disparate or non-uniform
shipping costs (which will be displayed to the user at the time of
product selection or purchase), or custom department issues related
to nationalization of products, such as import taxes/tariffs, which
are also displayed to the user at the time of purchase or product
selection. In one embodiment of the present invention, users may
connect with other users through a buyer social network, such as a
chat room, integrated with the virtual mall to share the shopping
experience, post comments about a product being viewed by users,
etc.
[0008] In addition, users may pay through a credit card or through
a pre-paid card or pre-paid account; in the event the user does not
possess a credit card or the cost of a product exceeds that user's
credit card limit. Also, in the event that the user's credit card
limit is exceeded by the product purchase price, the user can pay
the remaining balance by depositing money into the pre-paid
account.
[0009] The following description and the annexed drawings set forth
in detail certain illustrative aspects of the invention. These
aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways
in which the principles of the invention may be employed and the
present invention is intended to include all such aspects and their
equivalents. Other advantages and novel features of the invention
will become apparent from the following description of the
invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system that may be used for
implementing the invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates a method for processing the addition of
product items to a shopping cart in a virtual mall in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates a method for processing electronic
processing purchase orders in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates a method for operation of a warehouse
operation system in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates a method for electronic processing of
merchandise received at a warehouse in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates a method for processing electronic
shipment information in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0016] FIG. 7 illustrates a method for processing consolidated
shipment information of received shipments in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 8 illustrates a method for electronic processing of
merchandise delivery to purchaser in accordance with one embodiment
of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment of the e-commerce system
of the present invention; and
[0019] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary screenshot of the virtual
mall portal in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0020] The embodiments described below provide a comprehensive
framework for a real-time international e-commerce system, that
allows the purchase and delivery of products, any time, from or to
anywhere in the world. In an exemplary embodiment, a user in a
foreign country may register with the virtual mall system of the
present invention to purchase goods from a website which is
referred herein as a virtual mall or the GEF mall. This website may
be a mirror website of affiliated stores such that the user has the
same experience as if he or she had been navigating the original
website corresponding to the affiliated store. Affiliated stores
may include, for example, Chanel.RTM., Banana Republic.RTM.,
Macy's.RTM., etc.
[0021] After a user registers with the virtual mall and his/her
identity is validated, the user can start surfing the virtual mall
and shop for desired brands and/or goods. The virtual mall may
mirror the website of an affiliated store or vendor. In a preferred
embodiment, the mirror website may display the price of the goods
in the user's currency of choice (e.g., local currency). Given the
real-time nature of the system of the present invention, the system
disclosed herein enables access to the latest and actual inventory
of goods available from each vendor. The user can surf from one
vendor (affiliated store) mirror site to another within the virtual
mall framework and add products to the shopping cart without having
to checkout before leaving a mirror site. As the user browses the
product selections the user can chat with other registered users
online to discuss brands, types of goods, quality, etc. In
addition, a user sees the total cost associated with the purchase,
including the product cost, shipping cost (international and
local), and import taxes/tariffs imposed by the destination
country. The tax or tariff information may be retrieved from a
central database containing the importation tax or tariff for each
destination country.
[0022] Once the user adds products from different affiliated stores
to a single shopping cart associated with the virtual mall, the
user can proceed to checkout. Upon checkout the backend server of
the present invention generates a purchase order in real-time for
the selected goods, receivable by the affiliated store. The user
makes a payment using the user's local currency (or of his/her
choice), by either using a credit card or a pre-pay account created
for the purchase of goods through the virtual mall. A pre-pay
account may be opened in any country.
[0023] The backend server of the present invention then
communicates with a server of the affiliated store to process the
payment in real-time in a currency of choice to the affiliated
store and to process the delivery of the selected goods to a
location or warehouse used for dispatching or exporting the goods
to the user in the foreign country. The currency change rate can be
calculated by systems known in the art. Illustrative currency
exchange systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,580,886 and
7,716,109.
[0024] In one embodiment, a single warehouse location in the U.S.
(e.g., Miami, Fla.) is to receive all orders shipped from the
affiliated stores for further delivery or forwarding to the
corresponding registered users that have placed the orders. The
backend server of the present invention may communicate with the
servers of the affiliated stores to obtain a purchase order status
update and display the same to users on the virtual mall website.
Also, information about expected size and weight of package
delivered may also be received from the affiliated store servers or
from the shipping company.
[0025] As orders are received at the warehouse they are processed
based on the order number assigned by the affiliated store and are
labeled (the label including the order number) for tracking
purposes. The orders can then be grouped based on the country of
destination for shipping and according to the shipment method
selected by the corresponding user (e.g., air or sea). These
constitute consolidated shipments. In one embodiment, instead of a
label with a bar code an RFID tag may be attached to the received
products for product tracking purposes. In another embodiment both
a label and an RFID tag may be used.
[0026] Regardless of the number of products and the number of
users, consolidated shipments to a particular country are kept by
the customs department as they await pickup and processing by a
customs broker associated or designated by the virtual mall service
operator. The consolidated shipment will include a master label
which in turn includes individual label information associated with
each product. The master label can be processed by the customs
department of that country, assuming the operator of the system of
the present invention is a single customer. Thus, the present
invention also provides the benefit of simplifying the
nationalization process for imported goods.
[0027] The customs broker will have the master label data in
advance to facilitate processing. That is, another advantage of the
present invention is the reduction in paperwork and delays
associated with processing individual orders by a customs agency or
department. After the products have been nationalized in the
foreign country, the shipment of products to particular users in
that country may be outsourced (this fee for this service is
included in a total product price displayed to the registered user
during the product selection process). Upon delivery, a tracking
ticket created by the system of the present invention is
closed.
[0028] The foregoing description of possible implementations
consistent with the present invention does not represent a
comprehensive list of all such implementations or all variations of
the implementations described. The description of only some
implementation should not be construed as an intent to exclude
other implementations. Artisans will understand how to implement
the invention in many other ways, using equivalents and
alternatives that do not depart from the scope of the following
claims. Moreover, unless indicated to the contrary in the preceding
description, none of the components described in the
implementations are essential to the invention.
[0029] Illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown and
explained in the figures. Each illustrated module may be
implemented as a software module that either fully or partially
performs one of the functions described in an illustrated block, or
that serves as an interface for exchange of data among such
blocks.
[0030] The present invention is generally directed to a system,
method, device and computer program product for a real-time
international e-commerce system, that allows the purchase and
delivery of products, any time, from or to anywhere in the world
Accordingly, implementations of the invention include, or involve
the use of computing devices.
[0031] Specifically, embodiments of present invention may be
implemented on one or more computing devices, including one or more
servers, one or more client terminals, including computer
terminals, a combination thereof, or on any of the myriad of
computing devices currently known in the art, including without
limitation, personal computers, laptops, notebooks, tablet
computers, touch pads (such as the Apple iPad, SmartPad Android
tablet, etc.), multi-touch devices, smart phones, personal digital
assistants, other multi-function devices, stand-alone kiosks, etc.
An exemplary computing device for implementing a computational
device is illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a suitable computing system
environment 200 on which features of the invention may be
implemented. The computing system environment 200 is only one
example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to
suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of
the invention. Neither should the computing environment 200 be
interpreted as having any requirement relating to any one or
combination of components illustrated in the exemplary operating
environment 200.
[0033] The invention is operational with numerous other computing
system environments or configurations. Examples of well known
computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be
suitable for use with the invention include, but are not limited
to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held, notebook or
laptop devices, touch pads, multi-touch devices, smart phones,
other multi-function devices, multiprocessor systems,
microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer
electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers,
distributed computing environments that include any of the above
systems or devices, and the like.
[0034] The invention may be described in the general context of
computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being
executed by one or more computing devices. Generally, program
modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data
structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement
particular abstract data types. The invention may also be practiced
in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by
remote processing devices that are linked through a communications
network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules
may be located in both local and remote computer storage media
including memory storage devices.
[0035] With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary system that may be
used for implementing the invention includes a computing device 210
which may be used for implementing a server. Components of
computing device 210 may include, but are not limited to, a
processing unit 220, a system memory 230, and a system bus 221 that
couples various system components including the system memory to
the processing unit 220. The system bus 221 may be any of several
types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory
controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a
variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not
limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard
Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus,
Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association
(VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus
also known as Mezzanine bus.
[0036] Computing device 210 typically includes a variety of
computer readable media. Computer readable media may be defined as
any available media that may be accessed by computing device 210
and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and
non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation,
computer readable media may include computer storage media.
Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable
and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for
storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data
structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media
includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or
other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or
other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,
magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any
other medium which can be used to store the desired information and
which can accessed by computing device 210. Combinations of the any
of the above should also be included within the scope of computer
readable media.
[0037] The system memory 230 may include computer storage media in
the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only
memory (ROM) 231 and random access memory (RAM) 232. A basic
input/output system 233 (BIOS), containing the basic routines that
help to transfer information between elements within computing
device 210, such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM
231. RAM 232 typically contains data and/or program modules that
are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by
processing unit 220. By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 1
illustrates operating system 234, application programs 235, other
program modules 236, and program data 237.
[0038] The computing device 210 may also include other
removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage
media. By way of example only, FIG. 5 illustrates a hard disk drive
240 that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile
magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 151 that reads from or writes
to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 152, and an optical disk
drive 155 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile
optical disk 156 such as a CD ROM or other optical media. Other
removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage
media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment
include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash
memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid
state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive 241
is typically connected to the system bus 221 through a
non-removable memory interface such as interface 240, and magnetic
disk drive 151 and optical disk drive 155 are typically connected
to the system bus 121 by a removable memory interface, such as
interface 150.
[0039] The drives and their associated computer storage media
discussed above provide storage of computer readable instructions,
data structures, program modules and other data for the computing
device 210. In FIG. 5, for example, hard disk drive 241 is
illustrated as storing operating system 244, application programs
245, other program modules 246, and program data 247. Note that
these components can either be the same as or different from
operating system 234, application programs 235, other program
modules 236, and program data 237. Operating system 244,
application programs 245, other program modules 246, and program
data 247 are given different numbers here to illustrate that, at a
minimum, they are different copies. A user may enter commands and
information into the computer 20 through input devices such as a
keyboard 162 and pointing device 161, commonly referred to as a
mouse, trackball, touch screen, or multi-touch input device. Other
input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game
pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input
devices are often connected to the processing unit 220 through a
user input interface 160 that is coupled to the system bus, but may
be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a
parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor
191 or other type of display device may also be connected to the
system bus 221 via an interface, such as a video interface 190. In
addition to the monitor, computers may also include other
peripheral output devices such as speakers 197 and printer 196,
which may be connected through an output peripheral interface
195.
[0040] The computing device 210 may operate in a networked
environment using logical connections to one or more remote
computers, such as a remote computer 180. The remote computer 180
may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a
peer device or other common network node, and typically includes
many or all of the elements described above relative to the
computing device 210, although only a memory storage device 181 has
been illustrated in FIG. 5. The logical connections depicted in
FIG. 5 include a local area network (LAN) 171 and a wide area
network (WAN) 173, but may also include other networks. Such
networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide
computer networks, intranets and the Internet.
[0041] When used in a LAN networking environment, the computing
device 210 is connected to the LAN 171 through a network interface
or adapter 170. When used in a WAN networking environment, the
computer 210 typically includes a modem 172 or other means for
establishing communications over the WAN 173, such as the Internet.
The modem 172, which may be internal or external, may be connected
to the system bus 221 via the user input interface 160, or other
appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules
depicted relative to the computing device 210, or portions thereof,
may be stored in the remote memory storage device. By way of
example, and not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates remote application
programs 185 as residing on memory device 181. It will be
appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and
other means of establishing a communications link between the
computers may be used.
[0042] FIG. 2 illustrates a method for processing the addition of
product items to a shopping cart in a virtual mall in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention. Before a user can use
the virtual mall of the present invention, the user preferably
creates a user account by registering with the virtual mall
operator. The user may register with the virtual mall by providing
the following information: user full name, user email address, user
country and city, and user date of birth. As part of the
registration process the user may indicate whether he or she would
you like to receive information about promotions available through
the virtual mall.
[0043] After the user has registered with the system, the user's
identity is validated by providing a registered e-mail address or
by use of a software module requiring other information for
validation as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art.
After registration, the user may receive two e-mails, one welcoming
the user to the virtual mall, and explaining the benefits of the
international e-commerce system of the invention; and another,
where he or she will get the password to log in to the virtual
mall.
[0044] An encryption key for secure communications may be generated
by an automated module, which may change on a per session basis
when the user re-enters the virtual mall.
[0045] To access mirror websites of the affiliated stores, the user
only needs to access the virtual mall directly. In one embodiment
of the present invention, these mirror websites do not completely
mirror the entire websites of the affiliated stores, but instead
may have the look and feel of those affiliated store websites and
may include a subset of products available through the original
affiliated store websites. To commence the shopping experience
through the virtual mall, the user enters his or her email and
password. The system of the present invention allows the user to
change the password once the user has accessed the virtual mall for
the first time. The system of the present invention will handle all
encryption keys to assure the customer the protection of his or her
password.
[0046] Once the user logs in to the virtual mall, the user will
gain access to a list of the categories or products available
through the virtual mall, for example: jewelry, women's wear, men's
wear, home products, etc. Once the user selects a category, a list
of affiliated stores offering such products may be displayed to the
user and the user can choose to go into the mirror website of an
affiliated store. In one embodiment, the user will see all the
stores from the virtual mall and these may be displayed in a format
with the look and feel of the affiliated stores. In an alternative
embodiment, the virtual mall displays a list of affiliated stores
to the user upon entry to the virtual mall.
[0047] With specific reference to FIG. 2, in step 201 a user
receives confirmation of the user's registration and the user is
ready to sign in to the virtual mall portal. In step 203 the user
signs in and in step 205 the virtual mall portal accepts or
validates the user ID. In step 207 the virtual mall displays links
and images related to the affiliated stores. In step 209 the user
virtually enters to one of the affiliated stores or brands through
the virtual mall's mirror site. In step 211 the user adds items
from a plurality of affiliated stores to the virtual mall shopping
cart.
[0048] FIG. 3 illustrates a method for processing electronic
processing purchase orders in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention. The user views the products by accessing the
affiliated store mirror site through the virtual mall, where the
product price is displayed in the currency of the user's country.
The user may change the country originally selected through the
registration process so that the currency information is displayed
accordingly.
[0049] The user selects the product he or she wants to purchase,
which will be added to his shopping cart. When the user selects
product from the different stores or brands chosen, the products
are added to a single shopping cart. When the user checks out and
make a payment, the virtual mall automatically generates purchase
orders that are sent to each of the affiliated stores associated
with the purchased products.
[0050] A software module generates or creates and opens a request
to purchase products once the user checks out. In this application
the user sees a form where he or she enters a shipping address and
contact number. If the user desires to receive items at more than
one address, the user may click a button "add another" to enter
additional addresses. The system will verify that the data supplied
and the user will continue to the next step of the purchase
request. The software module then generates a purchase order for
each of the affiliated stores and will automatically add through
the tab the incremental cost of customs documentation,
international taxes and tariffs and national shipping. The shipping
costs depend on whether the user chooses air or sea shipping.
Finally, the user makes a single payment for all products in the
shopping cart from the different affiliated stores. Payments may be
made by credit card or pre-paid card or account. A payment module
to process payments in real-time for every transaction synchronizes
the payment transactions with the system's administrative system to
create the purchase orders to the affiliated stores or brands.
[0051] With specific reference to FIG. 3, in steps 301-309, the
user enters the virtual mall, enters the mirror sites for the
affiliated stores, views an selects a number of products from the
mirror sites, and adds the products to the virtual mall's shopping
cart. In step 311 a request for checkout is generated and in step
313 the user makes a payment for the selected merchandise in the
currency of choice. The user at that point had the ability to see
product prices displayed in the preferred local currency, depending
on the destination country, and also the ability to see the tariff
that would be charged for importing the selected product into the
destination country.
[0052] In step 315 an electronic purchase order is generated for
each affiliated store associated with the selected products. For
simplicity, FIG. 3 only shows a single affiliated store. In step
319 the virtual mall transmits a payment to the affiliated store in
the currency of choice of the affiliated store. This payment only
covers the products as the virtual mall operator will forward the
tariff and tax amount to the customs broker for make a payment so
that the merchandise can be released by the customs department of
the destination country. In step 317 the affiliated store processes
the electronic purchase order and ships the products to a
warehouse.
[0053] FIG. 4 illustrates a method for operation of a warehouse
operation system in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention. A warehouse operations software module receives
notifications and updates from the affiliated stores, for example,
the status of orders, expected time of shipment, the and the
expected time of arrival of the goods to the warehouse.
[0054] In the process of releasing purchase orders to affiliated
stores or brands, a pre-arrival warning in connection with the
expected goods is generated by the affiliated store or shipping
company (detailing its size and weight), which drives the space
reservation process with an airline or other shipment carrier.
[0055] With specific reference to FIG. 4, in step 401 the
affiliated store ships the products to the warehouse and also sends
a pre-arrival alert (in step 403 the pre-arrival alert is processed
by the warehouse computer system) that includes information about
the product, for example size of package and international shipping
carrier, so that the warehouse computer system or operator in step
405 can initiate reservation process for shipping the products to
the destination country. In step 407 the merchandise arrives at the
warehouse.
[0056] FIG. 5 illustrates a method for electronic processing of
merchandise received at a warehouse in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention. When merchandise arrives at
the warehouse it is registered through use of a scanner wirelessly
connected to a warehouse computer system or an RF ID tag system
wirelessly connected to the warehouse computer system. The
warehouse computer system updates the status or tracking of the
product as each product is entering or moving through the
warehouse. An individual product label including a barcode may be
generated by using the order number or product ID assigned by the
affiliated store or virtual mall at the time of purchase. The
individual label or the bar code may include the following
information: name of purchaser, purchaser address, destination
country, and product information.
[0057] With specific reference to FIG. 5, after the merchandise
arrives at the warehouse, the product information is processed in
step 503 based on the order number assigned by the affiliated
store. In one embodiment of the present invention, specific product
information, including the order number, is included in the
pre-arrival alert so that when the merchandise arrives the
warehouse computer system matches the read or scanned product
information with the information already received with the
pre-arrival alert. In step 505 an individual label with a bar code
may be assigned to each individual product. The label or bar code
may encode information about the purchaser of the product, the
purchaser's address, etc.
[0058] FIG. 6 illustrates a method for processing electronic
shipment information in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention. After labeling each product with the bar code,
the product is assigned to a platform or dispatch area office (in
physical proximity to the point where the products will be picked
up for delivery) according to the shipment method reservation made
by the buyer at the time of purchase (air, sea, etc.). Once
assigned a dispatch area, the warehouse computer system generates
pre-clearance document with data associated with the goods,
arriving as a consolidated shipment in the country of destination.
To facilitate processing of the consolidated shipment, a master bar
code or label may be generated.
[0059] With specific reference to FIG. 6, after individual products
have been labeled in step 601, products may be grouped together to
form consolidated shipments for each destination country, and also
grouped by carrier (sea or air, for example). A master label is
then created in step 603 for each consolidated shipment. In step
605 each consolidated shipment or package is assigned to a dispatch
area close to the physical platform where the consolidated will be
picked up, depending on whether the purchaser chose to receive the
package by air or sea (numerals 607-611). In step 613 the warehouse
computer system generates a customs pre-clearance form populated
with information from master labels in the consolidated shipments.
The form may not be completely populated, when it is generated by
the warehouse computer system, but it is still sent to a customs
broker, for example, for completion once the merchandise is
processed for release by the customs department at the destination
country. Finally, in step 615 the consolidated shipment is sent to
the destination country.
[0060] FIG. 7 illustrates a method for processing consolidated
shipment information of received shipments in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention. Once the consolidated shipment
has arrived through the air, sea, etc. the master bar code from the
master label is scanned in the destination country and the customs
declaration is automatically generated by populating fields left
blank in pre-clearance form. A customs broker that may act on
behalf of the warehouse operator or virtual mall operator may
present the required documentation to the customs authorities
before customs can release the received consolidated shipment. The
customs broker may also request electronic processing of the taxes
or tariffs required for release of the consolidated shipment.
[0061] With specific reference to FIG. 7, after a consolidated
package is received at the destination country 701, the customs
department or customs broker may access the master label 703 and
then scan the same 705 to retrieve information about the products
such that the pre-clearance form can be completed and a final
customs release document is generated 707. In one embodiment the
customs broker may use a smart scanner that sends a communication
back to the warehouse computer system or the virtual mall server to
notify that a consolidated shipment has arrived at the destination
country. The final release document may be delivered to the proper
officials 709 and/or to customs 711. The products are released upon
payment of importation taxes or tariffs 711 (801 in FIG. 8).
[0062] FIG. 8 illustrates a method for electronic processing of
merchandise delivery to purchaser in accordance with one embodiment
of the present invention.
[0063] Once a consolidated shipment is released by customs, it may
be distributed to the individual customers by a local delivery
operator: FEDEX.RTM., UPS.RTM., DHL.RTM., etc. Once the product is
picked up by the local shipping company the user is notified via
email. The operator of the virtual mall or the warehouse if
notified once the carrier has delivered the products to the
customers.
[0064] With specific reference to FIG. 8, after the merchandise is
released by the destination country's authorities, a local operator
pre-approved by the warehouse operator or the virtual mall operator
is to deliver the specific products to the purchasers that placed
the orders using the virtual mall 803. Before receiving the
product, the purchaser is alerted that a product has arrived in the
destination country (step 805) by the warehouse computer system or
the virtual mall server. In step 807, the product is delivered to
the purchaser and upon delivery the local operator in step 809
sends an electronic notification to the warehouse computer and/or
to the virtual mall server confirming that the product has been
delivered. In step 811 the warehouse operator and/or the virtual
mall server close the order ticket or application associated with
the delivered products.
[0065] FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment of the e-commerce system
of the present invention. The system may include an end-user's
computer 901 for navigating the virtual mall being operated by the
server 903 through use of a WAN 900 such as the Internet. The user
has access to products from affiliated stores 911 and 913 available
through the virtual mall server 903. To enable that feature the
server 903 may implement mirror sites that reflect the websites
from affiliated stores 911 and 913. In one embodiment of the
present invention, the data corresponding to the mirror sites may
reside at the server 903 or may reside on a database associated
with the server 903 and may be updated periodically.
[0066] The foreign exchange market computer 907 may provide to the
virtual mall server 903 real-time information related to currency
conversions so that the product prices supplied by the affiliated
stores can be converted by the virtual mall server into a currency
of choice for the end-users. The price of the products in the
currency of choice may be displayed to the user as the user
searches the mirror sites for products. The user can also view in
real-time the information about the tariff or tax that would have
to be paid for importing the product into the destination country.
This information may be maintained by the virtual mall operator in
a tariff database 905. The user may also select a shipping carrier
(for example, air or sea). The shipping cost may be calculated
based on the shipping fee that the affiliated store would charge
for shipping the products to the warehouse in addition to the cost
of shipping the product from the warehouse to the destination
country.
[0067] Once products are in route to the warehouse, the affiliated
stores 911 and 913 may send a pre-arrival alert to the warehouse
computer system 915. Upon receipt of the shipped products, the
products are labeled with a bar code or RF tags 917 may be attached
to the products to facilitate keeping track of the products as they
are moved around in the warehouse.
[0068] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary screenshot of the virtual
mall portal in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention. The user interface may include a Welcome message from
the virtual mall operator 1001, as well as a shopping cart 1003
associated with the virtual mall, so that purchases for products of
the affiliated stores can be added to a single cart. In the
illustrated embodiment, the user can view a list of product
categories 1007 for the affiliated store as well as the logo or
brandname of the affiliated store 1005 such that the accessed
morrow site has the "look and feel" of the original affiliated
store website. In FIG. 10 the user is viewing a purse and in the
window that the purse is displayed the user is presented with a
button that would allow the user to share comments or solicit
opinions about the product, via chat, social network, etc., with
other friends or users that are on-line, for example. In the
illustrated embodiment the user has selected a "sea" carrier for
shipping the product to the destination country. The illustrated
embodiment also shows that the user is presented with the product
price, shipping fee, and importation tariff, all in a currency of
choice.
[0069] The foregoing description of possible implementations
consistent with the present invention does not represent a
comprehensive list of all such implementations or all variations of
the implementations described. The description of only some
implementation should not be construed as an intent to exclude
other implementations. Artisans will understand how to implement
the invention in many other ways, using equivalents and
alternatives that do not depart from the scope of the invention.
Moreover, unless indicated to the contrary in the preceding
description, none of the components described in the
implementations are essential to the invention.
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